The co-owner of a bakery near the 14th Street corridor said he plans to close the retail portion of his company as part of a “bittersweet” business decision.

BakeHouse, which opened at 1407 T St. NW in 2013, will close its doors to the public after this Sunday, the bakery’s co-owner, Niall Cooper, told us. But the business will stay put to sell its baked goods on a wholesale level, he added.

“We’ve reached the point with our wholesale business where… we had to choose which direction we could focus on,” Cooper said. “The retail is unfortunately a victim of the wholesale’s success.”

BakeHouse currently distributes to Colony Club, Tynan Cofee and Tea, both Pleasant Pops locations and the newly opened Philz stores in Adams Morgan and Navy Yard, among other places across town. Cooper said BakeHouse is also adding “new clients in the District that we’ll be announcing in the next few weeks.”

Still, Cooper said the decision to close the retail side of his business was “bittersweet.”

“We’ve been so lucky to have such amazing customers over the last three years,” he said. “And while we’ll be sad not to get to see them in our store every day, we’re glad that they will still be able to buy BakeHouse goods at coffee shops across D.C. and in Northern Virginia.”

A local business will soon set up shop in the retail storefront of 1407 T St. NW, Cooper said. Though he declined to say which one, Cooper said the business already has one brick-and-mortar location in the D.C. area.

The Louis at 14 and BakeHouse come together to celebrate Pink Day. (Luis Gomez Photos)

I am sure you are wondering what this is about. Well, it is all about fun and wearing pink. Celebrate the color pink. This Sunday, June 23, The Louis at 14 and BakeHouse are all about pink they are coming together to give away free pink cupcakes and lollipops on the pinkest day of the year.

Yes, it is a fun neighborhood event, although it is a National Day. (Yes, the Louis at 14 is the JBG Cos. huge project at the southwest corner of 14th and U Streets NW.)

Sunday, “Like” the Louis at 14 on their Facebook page, get a secret code and head on to BakeHouse (1407 T Street NW) to get your choice of free cupcake or lollipop. Dress up in pink, make it fun, get your picture taken and be part of the Louis at 14 photo gallery.

We have been waiting for it. Bakehouse opens Wednesday morning at 7 am. The Bakery and Coffee shop at 1407 T Street NW actually came from the ground. Niall Cooper and Lindsey Morse’s BakeHouse has been in the making for more than a year.

Lindsey Morse of BakeHouse. (Luis Gomez Photos

Theirs is a great story of entrepreneurship. The couple started a brand for their baked goods, known as Bakehouse, and started selling their products at local markets in DC. But about a year ago, Morse and Cooper started to seriously consider opening their own space to bake and sell their goods.

BakeHouse is in a brand new building on T Street NW. Inside it has very modern aesthetics, a sleek and clean design. Morse previously told Borderstan: “We want to let the pastry shine.” They will be open from 7 am to 9 pm during the week and until 11 pm during weekends.

BakeHouse will offer an ample menu not only for breakfast, but for lunch as well. Tea, homemade syrups and coffee from Zeke’s will be served all day at Bakehouse.

According to Cooper, the interior walls are up and finished and most of the millwork is done. Some of the equipment and lighting fixtures are in place, and the duo just recently installed Bakehouse’s exterior sign.

“We hope to have the keys to the space handed over in the latter part of this month, with a soft opening in March,” said Cooper.

Bakehouse will seat roughly 14 people inside and will have a “good amount” of outdoor seating (Cooper estimates the outdoor space will hold another 10 patrons). However, Cooper predicts a large amount of the traffic will be takeout.

The menu will feature breakfast, lunch and dessert items, including a wide array of muffins, breakfast sandwiches (on a homemade English muffin), scones, cakes, candies, cupcakes, paninis and salads. Bakehouse will also offer coffee and specialty drinks from Zeke’s Coffee, a small roaster based in Baltimore.

From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

Lindsey Morse began baking about five years ago when she and her husband, Niall Cooper, relocated to the South Georgia Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean, just north of Antarctica.

While living and working on the remote British territory, Morse and Cooper (along with the island’s residents) received food and supplies from routine shipments.

“We really had to learn to do things ourselves,” said Cooper, who explained that only essentials were delivered to the island. “We even had to bake our own bread, and we eventually started baking for others on the island.”

Morse and Cooper came to the District about two years ago, and despite having more food and supplies available, they haven’t stopped baking.

“We discovered that we really enjoyed baking and working together,” said Cooper.

The couple eventually started a brand for their baked goods, known as Bakehouse, and started selling their products at local markets in DC. But about a year ago, Morse and Cooper started to seriously consider opening their own space to bake and sell their goods.

Niall Cooper and Lindsey Morse of BakeHouse (Luis Gomez Photos)

The duo spent time searching for the perfect location, and eventually decided on an empty lot on 14th and T Streets NW, a space that actually needed a building to fill-in an empty space just to the east of the now-vacant old Post Office building.

“Moving into a location where there was a previous restaurant would have been easier, but we thought it was better to spend the extra time to build and get the location we wanted,” said Cooper.

Building the bakery from the ground up has also given the Bakehouse owners the ability to customize the layout and design of the new 1,100 square foot space.

Cooper explained that the interior of the bakery will be “light, bright and modern” with contemporary furniture and light-colored walls. Focal pieces of the new space will include a large chalkboard to display the constantly changing and seasonal menu, and a maple coffee table, handmade by a friend of the couple.

Bakehouse will seat roughly 14 people inside and will have a “good amount” of outdoor seating (Cooper estimates the outdoor space will hold another 10 patrons). However, Cooper predicts a large amount of the traffic will be takeout.

The menu will feature breakfast, lunch and dessert items, including a wide array of muffins, breakfast sandwiches (on a homemade English muffin) scones, cakes, candies, cupcakes, paninis and salads. Bakehouse will also offer coffee and specialty drinks from Zeke’s Coffee, a small roaster based in Baltimore.

Like other establishments along the night-life-based 14th Street corridor, Bakehouse plans on staying open late – well, later than most bakeries and coffee shops.

“The area is such a restaurant Mecca,” said Cooper, who explained that he wants to stay open after dinner so that people can pop in for a post-meal sweet.

Bakehouse will be open Monday-Thursday from 7 am until 9 pm, Friday from 7 am until 11 pm, Saturday from 8 am until 11 pm and Sunday from 8 am until 9 pm.

As of now, Morse and Cooper are planning for a January soft launch opening, with a grand opening in February.

I’m getting married. Soon. In Borderstan. Because I love this neighborhood and I wanted to have a hyper-local wedding. And my gift to you, to this entire city, is to show you how almost your whole wedding can happen here. In case you missed it, my first piece was on the venue (see A Borderstan Bride’s Guide to the Big Day: First Step, Venue.)

As the countdown to our DC wedding moves into the territory of mere days, I’ve been thinking a lot about how happy I am to have worked with so many local vendors. Nearly all of our wedding is being sourced locally–from the favors, to the food, to even the bridesmaids gifts!

Catering

We knew instantly that we wanted to support Fresh Start Catering, the social enterprise project of DC Central Kitchen. Not only is the food delicious and locally sourced, but we also felt good about working with an organization that literally provides a fresh start for its culinary graduates.

If we hadn’t decided on Fresh Start, we would have asked Amit and Raj over at Spilled Milk Catering to be part of our big day. Friends, their food is legit; if you’re getting married in the District and want a fabulously bold dining experience, these are your guys. I still dream about their spicy tuna in wonton cones and lamb “lollypops.”

Bakeries and Sweets

Which brings me to dessert. If you’ve been to the 14th and U Street Farmer’s Market you already know Jenna from Whisked. What you may not know is that Jenna makes a mean wedding cake too. We picked three flavors to test with Jenna and although her carrot cake and red velvet were perfectly moist, we ultimately decided on an elegant chocolate ganache.

Our wedding favors symbolized one of my favorite things about DC: breakfast. We scooped coffee from Filter Coffeehouse into mini-paper bags and will pair that with a lovely lemon blueberry scone from our new friends at BakeHouse; guests now have instant breakfast or a really great midnight snack. Although BakeHouse will be opening their storefront at 14th and T later this fall, they’re presently taking catering orders and I’m excited to share that menu with you here.

Favors and Gifts

We used Etsy Weddings extensively–always turning on the local filters first to see if we could locate a vendor in the community. It wasn’t DC, but I ended up finding personalized handmade clutches for my bridesmaids from Emily Barron Gifts in Baltimore.

Flowers and Arrangements

One of the few things we are not getting locally are our flowers, but I had a great opportunity to chat with some of the area florists and am happy to share. I called Flowers on Fourteenth when our initial florist backed out at the last minute. Lisa asked me to send her pictures of the bouquets I had in mind and got back to me within hours with an estimate on cost. By DC standards, it was a great deal.

If you’re on a budget, consider visiting Whole Foods on P Street–you can walk through their floral department, make selections from their loose flowers and work with the team there to make your special day bouquets. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to DIY your bouquets, Trader Joe’s has a great selection of flowers from which to choose.

The one thing I won’t share publicly is the brilliant seamstress I discovered during this journey. If you’re serious about wanting to have your dress altered correctly and are willing to get in a car and drive, email me at [email protected] and I’ll give you the info of this coveted woman.

I’m really proud that our wedding will feature so many local flavors and in the end, it actually meant less work for me. We met with all of our vendors directly, and it allowed me to form relationships with people in my neighborhood that will last long after the last piece of wedding cake is gone.

Sometimes new ventures in DC can be so complicated; they want to be a cupcakery, and a chocolatier and sell obscure French wines. But the concept for BakeHouse is so simple: they just want to bake.

Niall Cooper and Lindsey Morse’s BakeHouse came out on top of the last Grey Market DC, which Niall says was a good experience for the duo. “We received so many nice, encouraging words; people saying it was great, that they love local businesses.”

First, though, they need a building.

The shop is coming to the corner of 14th and T this fall, with construction on the building set to begin in two weeks. The address is actually on T Street, just west of 14th. The developer plans to build a fill-in (in the space pictured above) just to the east of the now-vacant old Post Office building (initial plans fell through for a restaurant there).

The couple have a clear vision for their store and it feels like homemade plus adventure. “We feel strongly about using seasonal, fresh, local ingredients, everything made the day of. As flavor profiles, we really like taking classic things and putting a modern twist on it,” said Lindsey.

Niall echos his wife, “It’s comfort food, you know it, but it’s just elevated a little.”

For the record, they have three menu items I am already drooling over: brioche cinnamon rolls with Bailey’s cream cheese frosting, French toast bread pudding or their caramelized onion, chanterelle and Gruyère Quiches.

They’ll also serve specialty teas and coffee and already have a local roaster in mind. And if we’re lucky, they’ll soon solidify their plans for a brunch menu as well — made-to-order waffles, brioche, quiches and tarts.

With the wave of food trucks in the DC area, you might be surprised that they decided to open a brick and mortar shop, but Cooper insists that a storefront allows people to watch the ingredients come to life and gives them a chance to watch people enjoy their food. Lindsey and Niall are Borderstan residents, and they want BakeHouse to be the kind of place their neighbors frequent. As far as their own favorites in Borderstan, they enjoy Bar Pilar, Café Saint-Ex, Vinoteca and The Greek Spot.

And if you’re worried about it being Georgetown Cupcakes all over again, don’t. “We like cupcakes, and we’re definitely going to do them, but they’re just a corner of our business,” says Niall.